Where are all the Black historians?

BBC Radio 4’s Making History programme recently considered the plight of black historians, taking six minutes to explore the question of whether black historians exist in the UK. A number of white historians gave their perspectives on the issue but the views of black academics like Professor Hakim Adi from the University of Chichester and Dr Olivette Otele from Bath Spa University were also taken in to consideration. Prior to the programme there was a lot of circulation via social media (I personally received about 5 emails) trying to encourage black historians to come out of the woodwork and make contact with the producer to let him know that we existed. I sent an email with the work that I have done over the last fourteen years through my social enterprise Every Generation Media; from talks, workshops, articles, publishing websites such as 100 Great Black Britons, books When We Ruled, Caribbean in Sepia and Masters of the Airwaves. I got an email back reassuring me that I was a black historian!!!